Improvement in scouring, washing, and wringing machines



v wml NFERS. PHDTO-LITHOGRPHER, WASHINGTON. D. CV

. and other public institutions v:torce and at a high velocity,

UNITED STATES PATENT EEICE.

IMPROVEMENT IN scoURING, wAsfIIING, AND WRINGING MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. l l 1,176,

To all whom' it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. CHURCH- MAN, of Indianapolis, Marion county, Indiana, have invented a new and useful Securing, XVashing, and VVringing Machine, of which the following is a specication.

This invention is au improvement upon the.

well-known centrifugal wringing-maehine,7 whereby such machine is rendered capable of performing the several oiiices of scouring, washing, and rinsing, as well as that of wringing merely, and is adapted to Ageneral use in factories, dye-houses, hotels,'public laundries, for the purposes of cleansing and drying all ykinds of textile fabrics and materials.

The essential parts of the ordinary wringing-machine above-alluded toA are, rst, a cylindrical metallic basket or receptacle for the clothing or .other articles tol be wrung out, which basket is made to rotate rapidly about a vertical aXis by steam or other' power, for the purpose of expelling, by centrifugal force, the wateror other detersive fluid with which said articles have been saturated in the process of cleansing; and, second, an inclosing tank or case, with abottom outlet, for the purpose of receiving and carrying off such detersive fluid after its expulsion through forations of the basket.

My improvement upon said machine con` sist-s in combining with it a centrifugal washing device whose main features are as follows:A

First, a perforated cylinder of equal-height with the basket and about one-fourth its diameter is planted vvertically in the center of the bottom of the latter, and made to communicate interiorly with the water-space. in the tank below the basket, through an extension of its own length, to the depth of several inches below the bottom of said basket, which extension, however, isjwithout perforations; second, within said cylinder is placed a mechanical contrivance for elevating water or other fluid substance, and projecting it,bycentrifugal through the perforations into the interior of the basket, where it p ercolates through the articles to be cleansed, and, passing through the interstices of the basket, returns to the bottom of thetank, to be again elevated and projected as before, thus producing a circulation of detersive iiuid which may be continued at will 5 third, certain mechanithe per-- dated January 24, 1871.

[ical arrangements are introduced, by which the lwashing device may be operated independently |with the, basket at rest, or` the latter made to rotatefor the process of wringing, at the discretion ofA the operator, thus providing in jone apparatus for the several successive pro` ,cesses involved in scouring, washing, Src., with- `Iout the handling of the articles until ready to be :transferred to the drying-room. The whole de'- ,vice is preferably constructed of iron or other 'suitable metal, those parts liable to corrode by contact with the fluids being suitably plated or enameled. 7

In the drawings, Figure l is a vertical section of the machine taken at the line l l. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section of the same-.at the line 2 2. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the centrifugal water elevator and projector. Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view showing the clutch coupled to the driving-pulley.. Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing the manner of attaching-the-toe or spindle.

A is the inclosing tank or case with a central depressionor well, G, in its loorB for the yated by theI pumping device and affording room for the latter, together with the support of the-basket, without unduly increasing the capacity of thewater-space. projecting ledge D and dependent verge E are for stiiening the tank, and at the same time preventing the splashing over ofthe water, &c. F and its continuation F form a discharge-pipe for emptying the tank A. The said pipe F is provided with a stop-cock, f, for retaining the water, Src., duringthe cleansing process. The branch -pipes F and F, connecting the tank: with the extension of the discharge-pipe F, are overflows for carrying off the water during the rinsing process, the water being introduced in a continuous stream by au appropriate supply-pipe communicating with the well. rIhe valve f is for closing the lower overflow,

-G is they rotating basket, with open-work periphery and sol-id bottom g, for containing the articles to be cleansed. I

H is a perforated lfountain-cylinder, with closed top and open bottom, attached to the floor of the basket at its center, and extending a few inches below the same, which eX- tended part is without perforations, as mentioned in the general description.

purpose of collecting the water, 8mo., to be ele- The inwardly F, when desirable.

J isa spider or four-armed support, bolted or otherwise secured to the bottom of thebasket and sustaining the same.

,Projecting from the bottom of the hub J', from which the arms spring, is a toe or spindle, y', which rests in a step, K, in the bottom of the tank-well. The top of said hub is hollowed to serve as a step for sustaining the lower end of the shaft of the water elevator andv projector, hereinafter to be described.

Screwed firmly into the closed top of the fountain-cylinder H is a hollow shaft, L,which is journaled in the bridge-piece M, and surmounted by a firmly-attached driving-plate, which forms aportion of the clutch P, for attaching said hollow shaft, and consequently thebasket G, with its'fountain-cylinder H, to the drivingpulley O, when it is desired to rotate the basket and its contents for wringing.

N is a shaft, which carries the water-elevator R and projector S, that revolve within 'the fountain-cylinder H, and,with the latter,'con stitute'the washing device proper, referred to in the general description. The lower end of said shaft N rests in a step or cavity in the top of the hub J/ of the spindle, and its upper end is journalcd in a suitable support surmounting the bridge-piece M. The `driving-pulley O is firmly attachedto said shaft N, and rotates it either separately or in conjunction with the basket when attached by the clutch P, as before stated.

The water-elevator R is composed of one or more spiral blades, attached to the shaft N at the proper point for rotating them within the unperforated extension of the fountaincylinder H.

The projector S is constituted of a series of vertical or slightly spiralblades, so attached to the shaft N as to cause them to be rotated within the perforated portion of the fountaincylinder H. Its office is to project the water or other detersive Huid elevated by the screwpump R through the perforations ofthe fountain-cylinder into the body of the basket and among the articles to be cleansed. This is done with greater or lesser force, according to the speed at which the machine is run, its effective speed being about one thousand revolutions per minute.

The clutch P is composed of the drivingplate attached to the tubular shaft L, a movable plate with two or more dowelpins,which slide up and down the shaft L,`tle pins occupying guideholes in said driving-plate, and the screw sleeve-nut Q, by which the sliding plate with its dowel-pins is elevated or depressed. Vhen said'plate is depressed, the shaft N, with its attach ments, is rotated independently for the purposes of scouring, washing, and rinsing. lVhen it is desired to attach the basket to the driving-pulley for wringing, the sliding plate is elevated by the sleeve-nut until the pins enter appropriate sockets in the under side of the driving-pulley.

In the bottom of the tank A may be placed a steam pipe or coil, with suitable connections, for the purpose of heating the water, &c., when desired.

The operation is as follows:

First. The scouring or washing fluid being let into the tank insufficient quantity, and the articles to be cleansed placed in the basket, the washing device is put in motion with the basket at rest. y

Second. After said fluid has been passed and rcpassed through the' articles for a sufficient Vlength of time, it is drawn off through the discharge-pipe. The basket is then attached to the driving-pulley, is described, and rotated for a'few moments to wring out what remains in the articles being cleansed.

Third. For rinsing, the basket is detached and the washing device again set in motion with a stream of water flowing into the tankwell through the supplypipe and out of the machine through either of the overflows, at the discretion of the operator. Upon the completion of this process the water is cut off, the tank emptied, and the basket rotated as before for the final wringing.

I claim as new and of my invcntion- 1. The combined water elevator and projector N R S, operating within a hollow cylint der, H, substantially as described.

2. The combination ofthe perforated fountain-cylinder H and the wringer-basket G, as

described, for the purposes set forth.

3. The described arrangement, onerwithin the other, of the combined water elevator and projector 'N R S, and the fountain-cylinder H, with its hollow shaft L, the whole constituting, in conjunction, the scouring and washing device of my machine.

4. The combination, substantially as set forth, of the centrally-disposed washing device H L N R S with the centrifugal wringing-machine. y

5. The described arrangement of the hollow shaft L, screw-threaded sleeve or nut-clutch Q P, and socket-pulley O, or devices substantially equivalent, for readily changing from a scouring, washing, and wringing device to a wringer, or the reverse, at the will of the operator.

In testimony of which invention l hereunto set my hand.

NV. H. GHUROHMAN.

Witnesses:

GEO. H. KNIGHT, H. W. BALLARD. 

